As the crowds descend upon the entrance of the historical London Palladium, a sense of excitement can be felt within the air. The doors have only just opened and already there are hundreds of people lining Argyll Street, tickets in hand, below the large, bright sign which announces that The Analogues will perform tonight.
Any other venue may not create quite the same buzz which surrounds tonight's event, but we all know what one another are thinking. We can only imagine how exhilarating it is for the members of the band to be performing where, almost sixty-one years ago to the day, the Beatles made their historical appearance on Sunday Night at the London Palladium.
As the spectators filter through the foyer, we are reminded of all the names which have graced the stage in years gone by with a series of posters from another era.

 

As the audience waits in anticipation, looking upon the historical stage which is covered with a vast array of equipment and instruments, I try to second-guess which piece of equipment may be used for which song, in order to recreate the exact sounds which the world have enjoyed for six decades.

As the lights lower, a rapid ascent of claps and cheers fill the theatre's air and a familiar voice comes over the speakers.

Mark Lewisohn, world-renowned Beatles' biographer, graces us with an introduction.

He reminds us that nobody, other than the Beatles, could truly sound like the Beatles. Moments after I discussed the Analogue's previous works on recreating the Beatles' albums with the gentleman sat next to me, Lewisohn informs us that, tonight, they shall perform the Abbey Road album in its entirety.
With that, the band walks out to raucous applause. There will be no Beatle wigs tonight. No middle-aged men with stick-on sideburns shall grace this stage. There is not a collarless suit in sight. This is all about the music.

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Not a word is said by any member of the band.

The audience descends into a silent air of anticipation, and with that, the band open the show with 'Come Together', and the crowd, in beautiful unison, smile, clap, and cheer. 

I immediately close my eyes and listen to every note intently. The authenticity is instantly undoubtable. Down to every instrument and piece of equipment, the Analogues have made every effort to achieve the ultimate authenticity. This is not just any Beatles cover band, this is Beatles for the connoisseur. 

 

I recognise much of the equipment on the stage, as if I have used it myself.

Paul's Hofner bass that is recognisable to every musician across the globe. The Vox amplifiers that are seen in countless Beatles' photographs. The Wurlitzer from the Sgt. Pepper sessions. It's all here, in all its glory, with every element being utilised to pin down every sound, to its deepest accuracy.

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As the band progress through each track of Abbey Road, we see frequent transfers of band members.

These guys are incredibly talented, with many members switching between different instruments as they perform each song. Many members take centre stage, performing lead vocals - each with their own unique, powerful sound. 

 

As 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' closes, I am optimistic. 'Oh! Darling' is next, and I am acutely aware Paul McCartney painstakingly worked on his vocals when recording this song. It is a challenging song for any singer to sing, not least for McCartney himself. It takes a brave soul to take this song on. 

As a slender male graces the stage, he offers the theatre his glowing smile. His sense of happiness to be here is infectious. He approaches the microphone as he passes a glance towards the band, showing he is ready. As he bursts into the opening line, I met my optimism with a sense of joy that the band has, again, delivered.

Merijn Van Haren spends much of his time fronting Dutch alternative rock band Navarone, whilst also providing guest vocals for the Analogues - and it is he who blew me away.

He has an infectious smile, and a voice which stands up tall against the testing screams produced by McCartney on 'Oh! Daring'. Just like his predecessor, more than five decades before him, he produces incredibly compelling vocals with such ease that you cannot help but be envious of his talent.

As the song concluded, Haren bowed to his adoring crowd and skipped off the stage joyfully. 

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As the Analogues continued performing Abbey Road, track by track, note for note, I couldn't help but miss the poptastic sounds of the Beatles' earlier songs.

Whilst Abbey Road is undoubtedly an incredible album in its own right, performed live it can become quite a sombre affair. With such songs as 'Because' and 'Sun King', the tempo can become slightly too slow, and I could sense a small element of restlessness within the audience.

Whilst I am not suggesting those songs have any less of a place within the Beatles' catalogue, people came out ready to tap their toes and sing along, for which some of the album's tracks do lend themselves to. 

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As the group began the infamous medley of Abbey Road's b-side, I contemplated what the second half of the show may bring.

Performed with incredible accuracy and elegance, the medleys stand out moment was, naturally, Ringo's only drum solo from the Beatles' catalogue.

The rest of the stage descended into darkness as the spotlight shone brightly upon the drummer, Fred Gehring.

The audience erupted into appreciative applause, hands held high above their heads.

As the group concluded 'The End', the theatre's audience stood rapidly to their feet, and provided the band with a long-lasting standing ovation.

As the claps gradually faded, Diederik Nomden approached the microphone, acoustic guitar in hand, and gently closed the first half with 'Her Majesty'. 

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"Toes tapped. Eyes lit up. Here we go!"

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A short while later, the theatre again descended into darkness as the band entered the stage.

Opening up with the George Harrison penned 'I Me Mine' set the bar for the second half in that it was clear the group would still focus on the lesser known Beatles' tracks.

This is not a criticism. In fact, it is indeed somewhat refreshing to hear live performances of the songs you are less likely to experience from other, more low-key Beatles tributes. Having said that, as the band concluded the second half's opening number, they announced to the audience that their journey began when they recreated 1966s influential Revolver album.

I felt the hairs on my neck stand up with excitement - my favourite Beatles album.

"One, two, three, four, one, two..." announced a low voice.

The opening chords to 'Taxman' rung out through the air.

We vividly displayed the joy in the crowd within a sea of cheers, claps, and smiles. Toes tapped. Eyes lit up. Here we go! 

'Taxman' was followed up by the undoubtedly infectious and joyful 'Got to Get You Into My Life', and an equally impressive 'Eleanor Rigby'.

Just as quick as the Revolver set began, it was over. I could have happily sat through the Analogues performing the entire album with the unique microscopic attention to detail, but it was not to be, at least not on this occasion. 

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Van Haren had not appeared for some time now, not since his fabulous rendition of 'Oh! Darling'.

You can imagine my joy when he skipped back upon the stage, and the crowd joined me in my audible adulation.

Further satisfaction was heard as the opening chord of 'Helter Skelter' vibrated throughout the theatre.

Strobe lights helped set the scene of the chaotic introduction to what was undoubtedly the heaviest, grittiest song the Beatles ever recorded.

Van Haren, from the deepest depths of his vocal chords, tore into the song, attempting to recreate the infamous raw vocals performed by McCartney all those years ago, with McCartney laughter included.

There, in my mind, has always been something incredible about bands recreating 'Helter Skelter'. I cannot help but feel the highest levels of respect for anyone willing to attempt it, both musically and vocally. But the Analogues absolutely and unequivocally nailed it. 

We may say the same for 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. This is a song that many try to perform with perfection, and many succeed, but perhaps not to the magnitude of the Analogues.

For me, I always keenly anticipate the moment that guitar solo starts. Although often attributed to Harrison, it was in fact Eric Clapton who performed the solo on the 1968 double album, The Beatles, often referred to as The White Album. 

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The Analogues continued to impress as they made their way through many other songs, whilst once, and only once, paying homage to the 'good ol' days', when they performed 'One After 909' - one of the first songs Lennon ever wrote.

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Closing the show with a beautiful rendition of 'Let It Be', the audience leapt to their feet - keen to show their appreciation for what was undoubtedly an incredible night's performance.

The band looked proud as they stood in line, thanking and smiling appreciatively at the adoring crowd.

But, naturally, we all knew there was more to come. The band returned to the stage several minutes after gently walking backstage, opening their encore with the jolly 'The Ballad of John and Yoko', and then into the upbeat toe-tapper that is 'Lady Madonna', and closing with the ever-relevant 'Revolution'. 

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"The power to command adulation..."

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And so it was over. Thirty-six songs. Every one of them performed to perfection.

For a serious Beatles fan such as me, the evening was a joy.

We didn't need 'A Hard Day's Night' to feel jolly. 'Help!' was not required in order to make this a magical night. But I couldn't help but miss those pre-Revolver songs.

For me, I felt that the Analogues have the power to command adulation from all Beatles fans, and so, I cannot help but feel that their set list might cater for everyone had they just included a few of those songs that catapulted the world's most famous band into astronomical levels of stardom. 

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If you would like to learn more about the Analogues, you can visit their official website here. Even better - go see them live. You won't be disappointed. You can listen to and purchase the music of the Analogues here. 

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Set List:

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Come Together

Something

Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Oh! Darling

Octopus's Garden

I Want You (She's So Heavy)

Here Comes the Sun

Because

You Never Give Me Your Money

Sun King

Mean Mr. Mustard

Polythene Pam

She Came in Through the Bathroom Window 

Golden Slumbers

Carry That Weight

The End

Her Majesty

I Me Mine

Taxman

Got to Get You Into My Life

Eleanor Rigby

Penny Lane

Strawberry Fields Forever

Good Morning Good Morning

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

Helter Skelter

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Across the Universe

One After 909

Get Back

A Day in the Life

Let It Be

The Ballad of John and Yoko

Lady Madonna

Revolution

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